How Do I Fanfic? A Kinda Valuable Guide by clicheusername1234
by clicheusername1234
Summary: How do I OC? How do I plot? What is a Karl? All of these questions and more will be answered. No, but seriously. Review what you want to learn, and it shall come. Don't forget to retweet, favorite, reblog, follow, and leave your comments in a dropbox I hid in a secret location! (Spoiler alert, it's in a Nutella factory).
1. Intro

Hello, readers! It's clicheusername1234 (as if you didn't know that once you clicked on the story), and I'm here to teach you how to write GF fanfic! Alright, here's the secret to successful fanfic…

_Just freakin' love the show._

That's the bottom line, folks. You could be in college for writing _or_ ten years old, and this rule would be exactly the same. I mean, there are so many types of GF ficcers. You've got the shippers, the scary- creepy- horror- people, the Bill Cipher Illuminati worshipping cult, the ones who actually write canon stuff, OC- lovin' kinda _original _writers, and so many more… and we're all just as dedicated to fanfic as the guy next to us. It's 'cuz we love this show that we do this stuff, and any other reason is secondary.

That being said, I'd love to give y'all some tips and tricks of the trade. Before we begin, here are two lists: one of things I WILL teach, and one of things I WILL NOT teach.

THINGS I WILL TEACH

- OCs, OCs, OCs! Everyone loves 'em (except for those who don't). I'll show you how to make them likable, realistic, and interesting. Keep in mind that even _I _fail to deliver good OCs sometimes. Take the last two Falling into Gravity Falls "books", for example. Ava was kinda cool, but both Monique and Kate were terrible. See, we've all got stuff to work on. Read up on this topic for more self- deprecation and criticism, as well as analysis of particuarly awesome OCs in the community.

- PLOT. I'll show you how to make a plot with the perfect amount of originality, fourth- wall breakage ('cuz we all know that I LOVE that), action, humor, and incorporation with the show itself.

- DESCRIBING LOCATIONS. I'll help y'all find original, uncliche (get it?) ways to describe popular places like the Shack and the Tent of Telepathy.

- AND SO MUCH MORE (THAT I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE FIGURED OUT YET)!

- (I'd teach planning and outlining, but I STILL suck at that).

THINGS I WILL _NOT_ TEACH

- SHIPPING. Ew, cooties.

- SHIPPING WITH DIPPER, SPECIFICALLY. If your OC _instantly_ crushes on Dipper, you've got some problems to solve.

- GERUNDS AND PARTICIPLE PHRASES. Karl has that one covered.

- HOW TO BE AS GORGEOUS AND AWESOME AND _DELUSIONAL_ AS I AM. Because, sweetheart, that's just how I was born. (Being dropped on my head six times as a child and/or teenager may have also contributed).

- …

- WOW, I WAS EXPECTING THERE TO BE MORE ON THIS LIST.

- OH! I CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO BLOW OFF HOMEWORK AND WRITE FANFIC INSTEAD! I'M GREAT AT THAT.

So, yeah. You've got that to look forward to, along with some chapters of the WGF Xmas special (which may run after Xmas, oops) and Radioactive _and_ _maybe_ At Summer's End.

Leave what you want to learn in the reviews! I'm doing this for you guys (and for my own personal enjoyment, because I _love_ this weird feeling of having knowledge that I can share with the masses).

Aaaand as for the GF FanFic awards, I have recorded my official statement on the matter in a politician- like quote. Share it with your friends and/ or enemies.

"I, clicheusername1234, am humbly but happily obliged to accept this award, and I am more than ready to receive any more you wanna throw my way, homeboy. Wikki- wikki- whaaaa?! I bet you expected this to end differently. Cliché, _out_!"

_I have approved this message. _


	2. Surprise

**Surprise, witch. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.**

Well, a new Russian short and a whole series of American shorts are among us. So… I'm back! For now. I just can't stay away from you guys *winky face*.

Alright, so here's tonight's lesson, probably the one you want the most:

OUTSIDE CHARACTERS!

I'll probably split this up into a few parts because homework and school, but I have lots to tell you! Also, I'm willing to record myself talking about it with a little more information and put it on SoundCloud, so if you dig that let me know.

Also, I may or may not have become addicted to Adventure Time. Anyone want a crossover? Again, let me know.

But enough of that, let's start!

Let's begin with some examples of some really good OC's in our community. If yours isn't here, don't freak out. This is just off the top of my head.

***Cashmere Gleeful (It Runs in the Family)- One evil witch. She's insane, ruthless, has voices in her head, and is definitely not the cliché Gravity Falls OC.

***Autumn (Autumn)- This was one of the first fics I read. Autumn is a perfectly executed "girl- meets- Gravity Falls- story" OC. She has virtues and flaws, an interesting and original backstory, and realistic relations with the characters.

***Lillian Green (Thank You, Pine Tree)- the idea of a girl half- possessed by Bill is genius and original.

Take note of the word I keep repeating. "Original". You want your OC to be memorable! You want people to like them! You want people to be okay with them taking the attention away from canon characters! That's the key, really. Here are a few qualities that I make sure to put into my OC's:

***Relatable. This matters so much. Readers usually aren't going to like characters they can't relate with. They have to see a small piece of them in the character. I think Dawn from At Summer's End is a pretty good example of this, as well as Ana Green from When Gravity Fails. Dawn is obsessed with the show and acts just as any other Faller would. Ana is smart, clever, and brave… all qualities that readers see in themselves.

***Original/ Special. You have to be able to state why _this character _is different from all the other OC's out there. Maybe they have certain powers, an interesting background, connections with the twins… the possibilities are limitless.

***Flaws. Perfect OC's with no flaws or problems don't lead to an interesting story. Here are some examples of flaws in OC's, all mine because I wouldn't want to offend anyone else's characters.

_Ana Green- Hero complex. Anti- social. _

_Dawn Hemingway- Attached to a TV show. Not able to admit that she is wrong._

_Monique- Overly confident. Insane._

_Ginger Corduroy- Silly. Too trusting._

The reason you want flaws such as these from the get- go is because it then gives you time to develop the OC through the story. They can learn a lesson, and the reader can, too.

***Don't be_ that_ OC. We all know what I'm talking about. She's pretty and bookish. She moves to Gravity Falls, has a crush on Dipper, kisses Dipper, and then… nothing. The author pulls the plug because they realize that there isn't a plot.

***Well- written. I'm not talking Shakespeare. Just use grammar. Use spelling. Format. All that jazz. _Please._

That's all for now, friends. I'll write more of this soon, probably Friday. If I offended anyone, I'm sorry. Let me know and we can talk it out. If you have any questions or requests, review! See you guys soon!


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